Driving connection



J. ROBINSON DRIVING CONNECTION sept. 18, 1923:.I y mam@ Filed Aug. 30 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l sept. 18, 1923.

' AGSAUZ J. ROBINSON DRIVING CONNECTION Fi1ed Aug. so 1921 2 sheets-sheet 2 Snom/tez mdk 35%@ @www MMM llatened Sept. l,

JOSEPH ROBENSN, 0F MORRESTWN, NEW JERSEY.

BREWING CONNECTGN.

Application .tiled August 30, 1921.

.To all whom t may concern Be it lrn'owrthat'v l, Josera ROBINSON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Morristown, in the county of Morris and i State'of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Driving Connections, of which the following is a speciication. Y

`The invention relates to improvements in driving connections and particularly to improvements in the driving connections between the axle of a car and the generator for the lighting system.

ln the production of a'driving connection of the character contemplated herein, as between a car axle and a generator, which is preferably secured beneath the car body, various problems involving adjust ments and relative motions between parts must be taken care of. There is a certain amount of play or relative movement between a car truck and the axles thereof, in thelengthwise direction ofthe axles and there is also relative movement in the operation o the train between the axle and truck, in a vertical direction. There is also, of course, relative movement between the truck' and the car body, all of which factors have to be considered in the design of a 'connection of the character referred to between the axle and the generator.

@ne of the objects of the invention is'the production of an improved and edective driving connection in train lighting systems, or other installations in which relative niotions between parts must be considered, this connection involving the use of frictionally engaging driving and driven members. Other objects oi the invention comprise various details of construction and combinations of parts allV as will be more fully set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In order that a clearer understanding of vthe invention may be had attention is hereby directed to the accompanying' drawings forming a part of this application and illustrating, by way of example, one embodiment of the invention. ln the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a driving connection between a car axle and a Serial No. 49%,@06.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the driving 55 connection between the car axle and the shaft driven thereby and connected parts: an

F ig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings the axle l may be one of the axles of a railway car, one of the wheels of which is indicated at 2. A portion of the trame work of a car truck is indicated at 3, the body of the car being indicated at 4. The generator 5 may be supported by the car truck or beneath the car body, preferably the latter.- ln the drawings the generator is shown as supported by a bracket 6 depending from the'under side of the car bod The friction driving member 7 secured to axle 1 drives a friction member 8 on the end of the shaft 9 which forms part of the driving connections between the axle and the generator. Driving member 7 is preferably provided with a hub portion or portions 10 and outwardly extending web portion 11 on which 'the engaging face 12 is formed. Member 7 may be secured upon the axle in any suitable way as by forming 'the same in two sections which are bolted together about the axle by bolts 13 which extend through the hub portions 10 of the member, member 7 being keyed to the axle by a spline 14.

The driven member 8 is provided with a face 15 adapted to frictionally engage against the face 12 or member 7. rlhe engaging `faces of members 7 and 8 should be so formed as to engge each other with`considerable friction. ember 8 may be formed of discs of tibi-ous material 16, or thelile, which are mounted about a hub member 17 on shaft 9 and suitably secured together as by means of bolts 18 extending through the discs 16 and. through a liange 19 on hub member 17.

lin the construction shown shaft 9 extends substantially at right angles to axle 1 and theengaging faces of members 7 and 8 are lim suitably beveled or tapered to permit the same to engage. The acelQ of member 7 may be formed in any suitable manner to my@ the Sam@ a roughened or friction surq tace. ln the drawings a 'member 20 ot fibrous or other suitable triction material is illustrated as inserted within a suitable recess in the face 12 and suitably held in position therein.

Shaftmember Q is preferably mounted for rotation within a tubular 'housing' member 21, shaft 9 beingr provided with suitable bearings within this housing member such,

for example, as the roller bearings indicated at 22, 22. Shaft 9 is connected by universal joint 23 'with a shaft 24 which may be connected by a universal joint 25 to the shaft 26 ot the generator. 14n extension or telescoping joint may, ot course, be included in the connections.

The housing 21 is mounted in such a manner as to permit movement thereof in the lengthwise direction of axle 1. Preferably it is pivotally supported trom the car truck. ln the construction shown a. bracket 2T is pivotally mounted on a vertical pin 28 which is carried by the truck. Preferably one of the end rails ot the car truck has a horizontal late 29 secured thereon to overhangthe rai. "ljin 28 extends through plate 29 and the horizontal tlange ot a reinforcing member 30 yand is secured in position by threading a nut 31 on the lower end of the pin.

Bracket 27 may be provided with upwardly extending ears 32 through which extends a horizontal pin 38 on which an arm 34 is mounted to oscillate in a vertical plane. Arm 34 has a cylindrical portion on which a sleeve member 35 is vrotatably mounted. rlhe cylindrical portion ot arm 34 is screw threaded for a distance and nut 3G thereon may be screwed up againstl the end of sleeve member 35 to hold the latter iny position between the nut and a suitable shoulder on member 34 at the other end ot sleeve 35. Sleeve 35 is provided with downwardlyextending arms 37 which are secured to the housing member 21 so that the latter is piv- :otally hung from member 34 to oscillate through an are in a direction which is substantially parallel to nale 1.

. rlFhe end of member t opposite to pivot 33 1s preferably supported at a height which may be adjusted for the purpose oir proper- Gti ly lining' up shaft 9 at the proper height. The screw threaded end portion ot member 34 extends through the downwardly extend.- ing,F Flange of an angle bar 38 which-may extend in a direction parallell to axle 1. Angle bar 38 may be secured in a desired position lengthwise of member 34 by adjustment of nuts 39 on opposite sides of the vertical flange vot' the angle member through which the threaded portion of member 34 extends.

Angle bar 38 is provided at each end with g1 downwardly extending flange 40 which is bent at right angels to the axial direction accesos of axlei 1. A pin 41 extends outwardly through each oit' these tlanges 40. it threaded rod indicated in Fig. 2 at 42 is pivotally mounted at its upper end on each pin 41.

The llower end portion of each rod 42 is i threaded and extends through a flange or1 a bracket 43 secured to the adjacentl portion of the car truck 3. rlhe threaded portion of each rod 42 is provided with nuts above and below the horizontal dange of bracket 43 through which the same extends so that the angle bar 38 carried thereby may be raised or lowered by adjusting these nuts.- The pins .41 on which the rods 42 are pivotally supported are also threaded and provided with nuts 44, pins 41 extending through vertical slots (not shown) in brackets 43. lllfhen angle bar 38 is to be adjusted nuts 44 may be loosened and the adjustment made by raising' or lowering' rods 42 as 'described whereupon nuts 44 will again be t-ivhtened to hold the part-s in adjusted position. lt is not thought necessary to illustrate the construction just described in greater detail because of the tact that the same is not part ot my invention but is disclosed in the application Serial No. 456,906, tiled May 5, 1921, by' John l). Sunderland.

ln the `form oit construction illustrated the driven `lrict-ion member 8 is held resiliently in engagement with "the driving member 7 by means of a memberzengaging against the opposite side oil driving member i' from that engaged bythe driven member tl, these two members engaging opposite sides ot member 7 being resiliently drawn towards each other at all times. Pret'- erably housing 21 is provided with an ear or pair ot ears 45. An arm or arms 45 are pivotally connected to the ear or ears 45 by pin 47. ln the form illustra-ted a pair ot ears 45, are shown between which the arm 4G extends. This ariu may extend outward ly at an ang-le and then in a direction parallel to that ot shaft 9 toward axle 1. roller or disc 48 is rotatably mounted about the end ot 'arm 4G, ball hearings 49, or the like., prete'rably beinglr provided for disc 48.

The driving friction member 'l is provided with a plane surface 50 on its tace opposite to that which is engaged by driven member 8 and roller 48 is adapted to bear against this surface 50.

Members 48 and 8 are resilient-ly drawn towards each other, in the construction illustrated, by means oll a spiral spring 5l, one end ot' which is secured to a lug 52 on housing 21. The other end ol" spring 5l is secured to arm 46. Spring^51 is preterably mounted in such a. way as to enable the tension of the same to be adjusted. ln the form of construction described spring 51 is secured to an ey'eLbolt 53, or the like,

which extends through van opening in arm...

reeaaoa 46. The position of bolt 53l with reference to arm 46 may be adjusted by suitable means. A simple and effective construction is illustrated in which a nut 54 is shown as mounted upon the threaded periphery of bolt 53, this nut being drawn into engagement with arm 46. by the tension of spring 51. Nut 54 is provided with an outwardly extending handle 55 by which the same may be rotated in one direction, or the other, to increase or decrease the` tension of spring 51. v

It will be noted that the gonstruction described holils thecdriven member 8 resiliently in engagement with the driving face of member A7 Y regardless *ofl 4the lengthwise movements of axle 1 relative to car truck 3. Members 7 and 8 will also remain in driving relation during any relative movement between axle 1 and shaft 9 in the axial direction of the latter and during such relative movement between the car truck and the axle in a vertical direction as is likely to occur. In case any dirt or stone, or the like should get between the periphery of roller 48 and the surface 50 of driving member 7, spring 51 will yield to permit arm 4 6 to move outwardly suiiiciently for roller 4 8 to clear the obstruction. Thus it will be seen -that the construction. 'described provides a driving connection which is extremely simple and at the same time effective during all conditions which will be met in practice.

It should be understood that the invention is not limited strictly to the details of construction described but is as broad as is indicated by the accompanying claims.

What I claim is 1. In a driving connection, the combination with a car axle and a generator, of a snpport pivoted to swing about a substantially horizontal axis, a shaft member leading to said generator at an angle to said axle, so supported by said support as to permit movement thereof in thelengthwise direction o'f the axle, friction discs on said shaft member and axle, arranged 4to engage each other, and means for holding said discs in driving engagement with each other regardless of any lengthwise movement of said axle relative to said support.

' 2. In a driving connection, the combination with a car axle and a generator, of a support, a shaft member leading to said generator vat an angle to said axle, pivotally` supported by said support to thereby permit movement lthereof in the lengthwise direction of the axle, frictionally engaging driving and driven members on said axle and shaft member, adapted to maintain substantially constant engagement with each other, and means .for resiliently holding said driving and driven members in engagement during lengthwise movement of said axle relative to said support.

3. In a driving connection, the combination with a car-axle and a generator, of a support, a shaft member leadingco said generator at an angle t0 said axle, so supported by said support as to permit movement thereof in the lengthwise direction of the axle, driving and driven members on said axle and shaft member, having faces adapted to frictionally engage each other, and means movable with said shaft member adapted to bear on the side of said driving member opposite tothat engaged by said driven member.

4. In a driving connection, the combination with a car axle and a generator, of a support, a shaft member leading to said generator at an angle to said axle, so supported by said support as to permit movement thereof in the lengthwise direction of the axle, driving and driven members on said axle and shaft member, having faces adapted to frictionally engage each other, a member adapted to bear on the side of said driving member opposite to that engaged by said driven member, and means, comprising a spring, for drawing said driven member and last named member towards each other, to hold the same in engagement with opposite sides of said driving member.

5. In a driving connection, the combination with a driving shaft, of a support, a shaft member extending at an angle to said driving shaft and pivotally supported, by said support about a substantially horizontal axis to permit movement thereof in the lengthwise direction of said drivingshaft, friction members on said shaft and shaft member, arranged to engage each other, and means for holding said friction members in engagement with each other regardless of lengthwise movement of said driving shaft relative to said support.

6. In a driving connection, the combination with a driving shaft, of a support, a shaft member extending at an angle to said driving shaft and so supported by said support as to permit movement thereof in the lengthwise direction of said driving shaft, friction members Von said shaft and shaft member,qhaving faces adapted to frictionally engage each other, a member adapted to bear on a surface of said driving friction member opposite to that engaged by said Vdriven friction member, and spring means Sil mennen on said shaft and shaft member., having spring connection between said housing and faces adapted to frictionallv engage each arm, adapted to hold seid last named mem- M3? other, a housing for said shaft member, a ber and driven friction member resiiiently member adapted to bear on a surface of said in engagement with opposite sides of said driving friction member opposite to that endriving friction member.

gaged by said driven friction member, en Signed at Montreal, P. Q., Canada this aim crrying said Ist named member, piv- 17th dany of August, A.. D. 1921.

otelly connected to seid housing', and as JUSEPH RUBINSN. 

